INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – An amended gambling bill, now before the Indiana House, stands to make South Bend a big loser.
South Bend and all other governmental entities that don’t have casinos have traditionally shared a small pot of casino tax revenue.
Tonight, a house amendment specifically took South Bend out of the mix. The city stands to lose an estimated $600,000.
“It appears that South Bend is double dipping. They’re choosing. I don’t begrudge them for this. They’ve created a deal with a tribal casino that is, that I noted is, hopefully going to be lucrative for them,” said Ind. Rep. Todd Huston (R) Fishers.
“The tribe decided they wanted to enter into an agreement with the City of South Bend. They can just as easily stop that agreement any time
they want.” said Ind. Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D) South Bend. “To me it seems spiteful and petty to take $600,000 out of a community that needs the resources without even talking to anybody from that city.”
The amendment specifically singled out South Bend in denying access to future tax revenue. St. Joseph County would continue to share in riverboat gambling revenues.
The county does not have a revenue sharing agreement with the tribe.
